Introduction

You love your ranch in Montana but were long overdue for a big-city adventure—this time to New York City. On travel day, the cross-country flight was smooth.

You imagined seeing the skyscrapers, visiting museums, and maybe even going to a Broadway show.

But your bite of the Big Apple hasn't been so good. You can't sleep, you're tired, and your stomach is giving you problems.

You have jet lag.

Key points

• Jet lag happens when you fly across one or more time zones. Most people need to cross three time zones to notice jet lag. The more time zones you cross, the worse jet lag may be.
• Jet lag can happen to anyone. Your age, fitness, health, and how often you fly don't make a difference in whether you get it.
• Jet lag usually is worse when a person flies east rather than west. In other words, it will be worse when a person goes from the United States to Europe than from Europe to the U.S.
• Jet lag makes you feel bad, but it isn't serious. Most people get better 3 to 4 days after their flight.
• The supplement melatonin may help relieve the symptoms of jet lag. Sleeping pills may help too. But both of these also have downsides.

 What are the symptoms of jet lag?

 Why do you get jet lag?

 How can you deal with jet lag?

 Where to go from here

Return to topic:

Related Information

• Insomnia
• Sleep Problems, Age 12 and Older
• Travel Health

References

Citations

1. Herxheimer A (2008). Jet lag, search date June 2008. Online version of BMJ Clinical Evidence: http://www.clinicalevidence.com.

2. Herxheimer A, Petrie KJ (2002). Melatonin for the prevention and treatment of jet lag. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2).

3. Waterhouse J, et al. (2007). Jet lag: Trends and coping strategies. Lancet, 369(9567): 1117–1129.